Posts Tagged ‘Anna’s Hummingbirds’

It’s that time of year when the Anna’s Hummingbirds appear outside my kitchen window. My friend from previous years has yet to appear but a vividly colored cock checked out my camellia tree a few minutes ago. His jewel tones are stunning and have inspired me to find inks that mimic his brilliant head feathers.

Click the image to see the variety of colors a mature Anna’s can sport.

Anna’s Hummingbird at Rest

For the darker tones:

Noodler’s Saguaro Wine

Noodler’s Burgundy

Sailor Grenade

Diamine Claret

Diamine Syrah

Diamine Deep Magenta

For the lighter tones:

Noodler’s Shah’s Rose

Pelikian Edelstein Tournaline

Iroshizuku Tsutsuji

Noodler’s Baystate Cranberry

Caran d’Ache Sunset

Diamine Amaranth

Platinum Cyclamen Pink

Only four of these are in my collection limited to a bottle of Claret and small samples of Tsutsuji, Cyclamen Pink, and Deep Magenta. The samples were written with a J. Herbin glass dip pen on a Quattro pad. All four inks are in the right range.

Pink Fountain Pen Inks

It was a challenge to find suitable colors, but turned into a good exercise in color matching. Of those on hand, Tsutsuji and Cyclamen Pink hit the spirit best. Deep Magenta and Claret are a bit too blue. One day the perfect color will come along, but for now flashes of that vibrant pink whizzing past my window will suffice.

Just for the fun of it, find an item you really enjoy for its color and match an ink to it. It doesn’t have to be perfect. But it should make you happy. Isn’t that what pens and inks are all about?

Wow, did I get sidetracked today. Beth called my bird-related musings “bird gossip” and I just had to run with it. In fact I like it so well I’ve added it as a category so bird lovers can find those posts easily.

To bring you up to date, the mockingbird hasn’t menaced me in a week though I am told one or two continue to perch on nearby utility wires. The Anna’s Hummingbirds have relocated to the backyard but a Pacific-slope flycatcher has moved into their former digs, a camellia tree that brushes against my kitchen window. I miss the hummers but the calm presence of the less flighty new resident is a worthy replacement. He is more difficult to spot even at close quarters. That lovely, soft green is nearly indistinguishable from the camellia leaves, the perfect camouflage against any predators. He is quite the clever fellow for finding such an ideal home.

Yesterday a robin serenaded us from the patio and was quite miffed when he spied me listening through the french doors. The acoustics of the 3/4 enclosed space are wonderful as we’ve learned over the past several years when Mourning Doves nested there. I hope the robin returns soon for another concert.

Mid-afternoon is nap time but around 5:00 or so the finches and sparrows chime together reminding us life is good and we should take time for some joy when the day’s work is done.

But that does make me wonder. Since they are so chatty, do they gossip about us, too?